Mission Aborted (Rewrite)
by Edward M. Keller
Summary: An assassin from Neo-Tokyo got summoned to Tristain by Louise while doing a mission to get a file. What will this assassin do from a world of technology to a world of magic?
1. Activate

ネオ東京

 **Fileno.1 : Activate**

* * *

It was a cold night in the as the sea breeze flows in the city from New Tokyo Bay. As the sun sets on the horizon, the led and neon lights of the city buildings illuminate the streets of Neo-Tokyo and its wards.

Office workers, students, sex workers, patrolmen, civilians from all walks of life wandering through the streets of the consumerist city, illuminating their way, making the night a day. Some have good intentions, but most always keep to themselves, minding their own damn businesses.

The year is 2093, mega-corporations, with their private armies and technological prowess, rivals every government in terms of power and influence. And every government is on a hunt for these technologies that mega-corporations only give to their own private armies. With the masses losing confidence over governments in favor of mega-corporations due to failed policies.

* * *

[-23:45 Hrs-]

[-New Kowloon Condominium, Ginza Ward, Neo-Tokyo City -]

* * *

From the 35th floor of the condominium, looking outside the window, a lone figure is drinking from a mug filled with black coffee, yawning as she is just got up, wearing only an oversized t-shirt, undergarments, and a glove from her right hand.

Her apartment was, let's just say, adequate and functional for her line of work, saving up for months of salaries just to rent a decent place like this. Having a decent bed, kitchen, and bathroom complete with a tub. But what why she wanted this room, in particular, was the view of the ward. The lights, buildings, the hologram of the latest products that consumers haggle in the stores, she never gets tired of it.

Walking to her right, she opened her fridge, grabbing a breakfast burrito she brought to a nearby microwave oven and microwaved it. After it was done, she lazily munched down her burrito and turned on her holographic projector in the living room just to listen to some news that is going on.

And a hologram appeared out of nowhere.

 _"Breaking news, a student demonstration on Kasumigaseki District, in Chiyoda Ward regarding high tuition fee rates, has gone violent and with the students engaging on with the Public Safety Personnel, leaving 3 students dead and 17 students injured. The PSP has yet to make a comment on this matter and the Ministry of Education said that the tuition fees would still rise. Back to you, Shinozaki."_

"Another protest again? I'll have to deal with the student leaders again." She commented.

 _"Thank you, Toshiya. In other news, MP Fuwa Nanbu of the Japanese Worker's Party was found dead in his house in an apparent suicide. A few days ago he made a proposal to the Diet to give some of the government's technology as a 'truce' for them to share their own. However, the Imperial Police refused to comment on the matter but some of his party allies are-"_

She just immediately shut it off, and she continued to finish her meal in silence.

Finishing her breakfast, she fixed herself up from her bathroom to take a shower and toothbrush and drying herself from her auto-drier. She needed to duck slightly just to look at the mirror to fix herself up. Inspecting herself, having her black colored eye from her right eye and a blue one from her left and black hair that stretched all the way down to her shoulder.

"This is enough." She spoke to herself.

Now she just needs to wear something casual.

She gestured her right hand from her glove and from it a circular blue LED light lit and various images with a scanline effect appeared from existence near the glove.

Meet the Fourth Dimensional Inventory System or the F.D.I. for short. Developed by the Imperial Ministry of Research and Development, it acts as a sort of a storage, storing the item into bits of data into its hard drive and it materializes it into existence. However, it is only been distributed to specialist roles on the government to battle the R&D's of the megacorporations, yet OHM industries got their hands on the tech but still not yet releasing it to the public.

She tapped on the equipment windows and quickly hovering her hand to select her clothes, with the image, size, mass, and date of last storage, appearing. She went for blue jeans with a black tank top and a brown jacket to cover her. For her footwear, she just selected her standard rubber shoes. She hovered her hand again to the accessories portion of the menu and tapped a medical mask to cover the half of her face.

She exited her bathroom and she went to her bedroom to grab something. And from the side of the bed was a pistol with a magazine still loaded into the gun. It was her LK12 pistol, her favorite gun.

Designed and manufactured by Mirai Tech, this pistol is a specialist pistol as its ammo type can vary depending on the convenience of the user. The lowest being the .45 ACP and highest being .50 Action Express. The pistol's slide is colored in sleek black with a red outline. The sights are lit also with small red LEDs for easy aiming. Its grip's design is very ergonomic, having several outlines that fit very comfortably to her right hand and the trigger that's colored orange just feels right.

She grabbed her pistol and looked at the trigger, and to her eyes, it augmented reality. She saw an ammo counter and the type of bullet on the bottom right of her vision, there displaying: "[20] 5.7x28mm". She dematerialized her pistol to her inventory so she wouldn't get caught bringing a firearm downtown.

Finally prepared to go to her workplace, she went out of her room and encrypted the door lock code to open it.

Walking down the hallway to the elevator, it wasn't empty as there were a couple making out, not noticing her and just enjoying their time. Of course, she didn't mind what they are doing as their business is their business and walked immediately on the elevator to avoid disturbance, tapping the screen with the "G" on it and the doors of it closed.

* * *

[-Ginza Ward, Neo-Tokyo City -]

* * *

She got off the elevator and in front of her, a sleek black car is waiting for her. She opened the door and took a ride. To her left was a lady with blonde hair, wearing a blazer and an office skirt, and with it, sharp blue eyes along with a stoic face.

"Took you long enough, Yoshiko. The Chairman is pleased with a great job regarding Mr. Fuwa. You even convinced some that it was an apparent suicide."

She slouched in the comfortable chair and let out a sigh, "A target is a target, Core."

"And you certainly did a great job at it. You never fail to impress, even me." The woman now named Core reassured her. "We will let you handle his fellow party members and some of the student leaders that escaped today's protest in Kasumigaseki but we will be arriving shortly to HQ, and the Chairman would debrief you on your next mission."

Codename: Yoshiko. Her true name is Nakayama Mizuho but is classified. With the rank of an operative in the Central Intelligence Bureau, her jobs are intelligence gathering and assassination of targets. "Why not here?" She asked.

"He gave me strict orders to debrief you other than the HQ and will materialize your equipment there."

Yoshiko just gave a nod and look out the windows of the car, waiting when will they arrive in HQ.

* * *

[-Central Intelligence Bureau HQ, Shinjuku Ward, Neo-Tokyo City -]

* * *

Their ride arrived shortly thereafter but with the protest, some roads have to be closed and they take an alternate route to HQ. Once they arrived, they are greeted with a rather large lobby. With two staircases and two escalators leading to another open floor where the elevators are located. Between them was a very large screen with the logo of the C.I.B. in it along with its name and a receptionist along with a desk.

They walk to the elevator in complete silence, pressing the button [43] once they are there.

Now at Floor 43, they walk to their left hallway and arrived at the Briefing Room. They entered knowing and sat on the chairs provided to them, with the Chairman facing the screen with the map of the world along with their overseas agents. "Seems you arrived, Yoshiko and Core."

"Good Morning, Chairman Rein." They both greeted.

He then turned his chair to them. He wears a red coat and blue tie along with a black polo shirt. With black and black hair. The most distinct feature being the stitches across his face and both of his right eyes glowing red.

"Agent Yoshiko." He chuckled. "You've certainly grown to become a full-fledged agent. One of our youngest yet one of the most skilled. I'm proud of you, Agent."

Yoshiko was used to this kind of flattery since she also uses this in espionage but this is a special kind since the Chairman of the Bureau of Central Intelligence is not a man to be trifled with. Those scars in his head represent one assassination attempt made by a previous double Agent who infiltrated the Bureau but was killed himself by the Chairman but needs facial reconstruction and bionic eye implants.

"Thank you, Chairman." She bowed and sat on the chair provided to her.

A hologram appeared out of existence in the Chairman's side of the table. "Right, onto more pressing matters. You are to assassinate Tanaka Sendai. Executive of OHM Energy Corp."

"Sendai reached a deal with MP Fuwa regarding our agency. Us relinquishing our tech from the Ministry of Science and he may pull some more strings in the diet. And since Sendai is beyond the reach of the law, you are to kill him. It doesn't matter if you make it look like a murder, as long as you don't get your identity revealed from any cameras or don't make the alarm go up, as long as any megacorporation doesn't get a taste of our technology, it suffices."

The hologram then zoomed into Shibuya Ward where a large skyscraper careens to the skies with the main attraction of the building being the giant Chinese coin at the center of the tower and the tower being connected to other four lesser skyscrapers. It zoomed in again on the main tower

"Here is the face of Sendai." He is wearing a standard black coat and tie, however, the difference is that his face has lines that go all the way from his chin, then to his eyes and finally his forehead. A clear sign of full human cybernization. His eyes are glowing green and have red colored hair. "You have the means to use force by any means unless it will cause the alarm, however with your skill, I am confident that you will do the mission flawlessly. Core is going to be your operator as she usually is and would feed you information once you get there. Suit up and go to the teleporter. You are dismissed."

Both of them stood up immediately and exited the room, their eyes not filled with determination but treating is just another job to do for the day.

Agent Yoshiko tied her hair into a bun and gestured her F.D.I. to change her equipment to her personal protective equipment.

A trench coat that has a hoodie to cover her head is thin on the outside but is reinforced with nanotechnology, thus capable of defending the user from bullets as long as it isn't anti-materiel, giving the user immense strength boost and also capable of invisibility, cloaking every part of the body.

The high-velocity boots, capable of making the user leap from 18 m above while also neutralizing any force that connects with the boots.

Her respirator that is able to eject smoke screen when needed and also has filters to filter any intranasal gas agents. It is also capable of mimicking any voice that the user recorder or heard.

Wearing standard stretchable black slacks, and white polo and necktie underneath, completing her PPE.

After finishing wearing her outfit, she went to the Control Room up ahead, once she entered she is presented with a large screen with three human like androids seated at the base and each having a holographic computer, prepared to give assistance to Core, who is seated at the center of the room, displaying her status and command.

From the room, Agent Yoshiko walked into a platform filled with circles glowing in blue. She just nodded to her and it was a signal that it is a go.

"All systems clean. Prepare for teleportation Agent Yoshiko. We will feed you through once you get there."

She nodded and the humanoids did their work, teleporting the agent to her destination

* * *

[-01:00 Hrs-]

[-91th Floor, Jakob's Tower, Shibuya Ward-]

* * *

Yoshiko was instantly transported to one of the restroom stalls. It was at the time where it was cleanest and has a pleasant smell and the toilet and the bidette at the side of it were also clean.

"You have to find your target Agent." Core said to her from the HQ. She can listen to her through the use of the GM-Drive or Grey Matter Drive, a cybernetic augmentation in the brain widely used by the populace to augment reality or to send a message telepathically.

"I have sent a map file through your GM-Drive, though we can't register the location of any guards or your target due to the building being quadra-encrypted with firewalls. Even your probe can't scan, only the geometry is visible, everything else isn't. You have to find your target and kill him, Agent. As usual, I'll observe you through your lenses."

"Copy." The assassin answered in a monotone. The agent materialized her favorite pistol to existence and activated its all noise suppression mode, hiding it muzzle fire, sonic boom and gun operation noise. She opened the door slowly and noticed an unsuspecting guard washing his face and hasn't noticed her yet.

Minding his own business, he still washes his face. Yoshiko materialized her tazer and walked behind him, once noticed it is already too late for the guard. The assassin snaked her arm to his mouth and nose and slammed him against the floor, having the tazer deal with the final blow.

Searching the body of the guard, she found a keycard for opening secured doors. She put it in her pocket and continued her task in hand.

Having dealt with the guard, she cloaked herself and exited the men's room. There the hallway was widely lit with lights adjacent to the floor, walls and the ceiling and the ceiling has lights of its own. The walls of the floor was filled with exotic art and one wall has a poster on it. It has an omega symbol and on the middle of it reading the slogan _"OHM Energy Corp. Quality Services, Quality Energy. OHM. Quality Endless."_

The walls are adorned with black while the floor and the ceiling are covered in white. The hall has three doors indicated on her map however she noticed the security camera and immediately cloaked.

However, she didn't pay attention to any of those rooms as there is a large room at the end of the hallway. And that is where she went, even with the security they can't detect her presence.

From the end of the hallway, there is a large security double sliding door. She now suspects that this is where her target is and today is a pretty easy job. Security isn't tight, only one guard encountered, yet she is very cautious because she knew something is seriously wrong.

She slid the security card on the detector to open it revealing the rather large office. At the middle was an elevated platform, about half a meter high with stairs, a semicircular floating table along with a classic black leather chair, with two more chairs at the At the very end of the room was the window that exposes the Neo-Tokyo Skyline along with the view of the Tokyo Bay along with two pillars filled with white lines faint with light.

At the top of the room is a chandelier and all of the walls and the floors have metallic sheens on them, different from the appearance of the hallways except for the adjacent lights.

Of course, Yoshiko scanned the room with her eyes and there were no signs of a living bioorganism. But suddenly, alarms went off even with her cloaking coat but her cloak suddenly wear off and a man appeared in the chair of the room.

It was the man on her briefing, the Executive or Cyborg that she has full intention of killing. Yoshiko immediately aimed her gun without hesitation with the full intention of killing her target. She can't be identified as she is an agent of the shadows but with the situation right now, there are only two things she can do. One is to kill her target within 5 seconds before any bio scanners scan her face and hack into her GM-Drive and two, get the hell out of there.

She pulled the trigger, causing the bullet to fly from the gun and into the head of her target.

* * *

[-09:00 Hrs-]

[-Tristain Academy of Magic, Kingdom of Tristain-]

Louise is having an abysmal day. First, her failed transmutation spell, now the annual summoning of familiars of second years. She is just afraid that she has to face that she is a noble that can't even cast a simple spell.

She just wants to prove to her peers that she is a capable mage, maybe even superior to them in some ways as she is a Vallière. A mage to be respected.

Yet here she was hiding in all of the ceremonies has to offer, wanting her teacher to forget that she is even there. To hide from the shame, from her nickname "Zero" and the laughter that comes with it.

However, fate is very cruel.

"Professor Colbert!" A red-haired girl among the crowd, with her white blouse, unbuttoned on the last button, showing her cleavage. "Zero" has yet to summon hers!" She declared.

Louise cringed again once she heard that dreadful nickname again. On the back of her mind, she just wishes she could do a spell that can bitchslap her face. "I'll show you, Zerbst! I'll summon a familiar far greater than your pathetic salamander!" She snarled.

"Great? You're making me laugh, Zero! The only great thing that'll happen is that you accept that you aren't a mage!" Zerbst spat back and the crowd laughed at Louise's expense.

Professor Colbert, with his balding head, eyeglasses, and blue robes, stomped his staff to the ground. "Silence!" He shouted to his students. "Do that again and I will give you an assignment for you to work on the day of the Void!" That shut his students.

"Miss Valliere." He called to his student. "Proceed to the summoning circle, now."

"Yes, Professor." She answered. She is nervous among the stares, the judging stares of her classmates and walked very fast to her destination. Once there, she brought out her wand and began to chant.

" _O, great familiar from the heavens that heathens shall fear your light! I! Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, summon thee!"_

While Louise was chanting her summon, all of the students started to snicker from the utter desperation of Louise casting a spell until they heard, again, her spell explode.

* * *

[-02:00 Hrs-]

[-91th Floor, Jakob's Tower, Shibuya Ward-]

* * *

Yoshiko is having an abysmal day. First, security isn't that tight, now she knew OHM would come and get her since killing Fuwa Nanbu is a clear sign that someone has intentions against their goals. And now, somehow her bullet deflected when it was only inches away from her target's face.

Tanaka Sendai stood up from his chair and walked towards her, "So we finally caught you. An agent of another megacorporation? Or?" A hologram appeared in front of his face and manipulated his hand for it to be shown to the agent. And there was the JNN report on Fuwa Nanbu's death.

The assassin knew not to show any emotion and just stay silent, pouring bullet after bullet to any of his vital biological organs yet it is the same, it deflects.

Suddenly, the door banged open and two OHM Cyborgs and 6 Cyberhounds are there, ready to arrest her or kill her if she resists. "You! You are in violation of Code V, SubCode 291 of the OHM Corporation Guidelines! You are underarr-"

Yoshiko spewed more bullets into the OHM Cyborgs, interrupting their work and at the same time leaped towards the window while the cyber hounds leaped at her. All she has to do now is to wait for Core's teleportation. Until she heard something, from her GM-Drive.

" _O, great familiar from the heavens that heathens shall fear your light!"_

"Core! OHM hacked into my GM-Drive!" She messaged to Core.

"Agent. All systems are clean. There is no clear indication of a hack. Teleportation in 5 seconds."

The agent is now confused. Is she just hearing things? A language that she didn't understand, maybe a new programming code developed by them.

" _I! Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, summon thee!"_

"Co-"

* * *

[-09:00 Hrs-]

[-Tristain Academy of Magic, Kingdom of Tristain-]

* * *

There was a huge explosion in the summoning circle but the crowd of students wasn't surprised, instead they were laughing their asses off.

Louise was thrown off by the explosion. She didn't care that she was hurt but she knew what it signifies. This is her end. She isn't a noble. She is what her adversary says to her. A "Zero".

But there is a small sliver of hope for her because due to the explosion there is a dust cloud. Maybe a manticore, or even a dragon, due to its size dropped off and produced a huge dust cloud, but all that excitement died down once she heard footsteps.

From the cloud of dust came Agent Yoshiko walking slowly, with her looks not pleased with her situation, if not for the fact that her trigger finger is itching. For some megacorporation to simulate her into this world is madness to her!

She analyzed her surroundings. Tall towers that have color-coded spires with the tall mountains far behind the luscious green of the forest. The stone brick walls that made this towers, clearly not build with any recent technology of Building Printing. Various creatures that even megacorporations can't come up with. And people who wear cloaks look like those people that go to Akihabara for the latest otaku craze. _"This is a simulation. There is no way in hell that a world like this can exist. This is straight out of an anime or a fantasy game."_ She thought.

Yoshiko still thinks her GM-Drive is hacked and hasn't made a systems check. The map on her vision now just a exclamation point and a sentence below it: " _No signal to HQ."_ All the reality that is augmented is her ammo counter which only has five 5.7x28mm bullets left. But Yoshiko knew this isn't the case, she thinks she is in a computer simulation. "Run full system analysis checks. Check for viruses, hacking, file deletion, downloads, holograms, simulations. Stat." She commanded to her GM-Drive and now she has to deal with this little pink haired girl.

Everything went silent once she appeared on the summoning circle. First, they were shocked that Louise actually did magic, let alone summon a familiar. Once they saw the familiar, they are equally confused by her very foreign looks and finally, they laughed again. "Zero summoned a commoner!" Was heard throughout the crowd.

Louise, however, was just glad that she was able to summon, well, something, and this proves that she can do magic. But at the same time, she is disappointed and confused. There is no one in the history of Halkegenia that anyone, except for her god, Brimir, himself, summoned a familiar that is a human but there is a gut feeling that the commoner she summoned isn't a human.

Disappointed that she summoned a commoner familiar, not a manticore like her mother or even a mighty fire-breathing dragon. Instead, it was a commoner, but something about the familiar she summoned feels a bit out of the picture.

Her hood that hides her head along with the mask only shows her black and blue eyes and black silky hair. The only thing identifying her as something is her bust and her slender figure that is still outlined by her clothing. Everything about her feels foreign, futuristic, even the weapon that she is holding has a very futuristic feel to it.

" _Analysis check complete. All systems clean. All requested checks are 0.0000. No sign of computer simulation. Visual analysis is genuine. No holograms."_

This is an utter shock to the agent. She still believes that this is a simulation. Believing that she is hacked of some sort. Believing that this fantasy island shouldn't exist. This is a gamer's or an apartment hermit's paradise. But she has no mood for gaming, she has to assess the situation that she isn't in her world anymore.

She removed the all-noise suppressor mode, aimed her pistol up high in the air and emptied her magazine. The sound of the gunshots gaining the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

Professor Colbert, alarmed by her behaviour, aimed his wand and is in preparation for a fire spell. Professor, he might be, but his instincts of a battle-hardened soldier to recognize a threat isn't going away that easily.

Agent Yoshiko removed the magazine from her pistol and put another one in place, full of 20 bullets. She cocked the gun but noticed a man on her side, approaching her with caution. "Ma'am". That put her on the edge, she aimed her gun at his head and he stopped walking. "I believe that we can discuss in an otherwise more civil manner."

The agent couldn't understand what the bald man was saying. The man is speaking French, while Yoshiko could only understand three being Japanese, Mandarin, and English as those three are the most spoken languages in the current world.

" _What are you saying?"_ She now stated to the professor. _"Where have you taken me? Are you part of any megacorporation?"_

Professor Colbert also didn't understand what she is saying and he doesn't want any casualties in this ceremony and diplomacy is first before a battle ensues. He then cast a translation spell to the summoned familiar. The Agent took this as a red flag and almost pulled the trigger until-

"Wait. Ma'am. I hope you can understand me now. So please lower your flintlock so that we can have a civil discussion." He said in a softer tone but still not letting go of the thought that she is a threat.

"Translation. Now, tell me how I got here. I know for a fact that this isn't a computer simulation. And no, I won't lower my gun, your stance is already a dead give away."

Colbert's eyes widened at the inhuman voice that is coming out of that mask, and Yoshiko smiled at this reaction and decided to exploit this. "Now, explain to me why am I here. If you are part of a megacorporation, I'll end you. Right here right now."

"Y-y-you are in the Tristain Academy of Magic, we are in a middle of a ceremony ma'am and," Colbert turned to the still silent Louise, still observing and dumbfounded that she summoned a familiar. "Ms. Vallière summoned you."

Agent Yoshiko laughed darkly to what he said and pointed her gun at the now awake Louise. "Magic? Bullshit! And you? Little girl? Summoned me? Teleported me when I am in the middle of something important?"

"I-I'm not a little girl!" Louise practically screamed at her. "I'm sixteen! And yes, I summoned you to become my familiar!" Still nervous about her gun but still her resolve didn't waver.

"Then you summoned the wrong familiar girl," Yoshiko growled which Louise shivered in response. "Old man." She then turned again to the professor. "Then let's say I believe in this so-called "Magic" of yours. Then bring me back to New Tokyo."

Colbert cringed at what the familiar nicknamed her as but piqued his interest once she mentioned her home, however also nervous that there is no way to reverse summon in their magic. "Ma'am, I-I'm afraid there is no magic that can do that."

"And why is that?"

"Because this is a sacred ritual and redoing it would be heresy."

"Old man." Yoshiko growled. "I'm in the middle of something important. And now this pipsqueak here decides to butt in on my affairs. I don't care about your damn religion, even if it is sacred! So this is my last warning. You two are meddling with affairs of the Bureau of Central Intelligence. If you two wouldn't teleport me back to my world, I'll terminate you both."

This got the attention of everyone now just waiting for this conversation to end. A commoner in their midst had just threatened two nobles. Pompous and arrogant they may be, but this arrogant familiar, a commoner nonetheless, threatens to outmatch magic itself. They couldn't accept this.

"You insolent commoner!" All heads turned to the now screaming teenage girl who has several large curls of hair, fixing it with a red ribbon. "You think you can just threaten us of the nobility?" The mage then cast a spell forming water bullets and launched it at the agent.

Yoshiko, with her fast reflexes, immediately aimed and shot those big bullets, exploding it. Colbert has had enough. "Ms. Montmonrency! Cease your attack! I will deduct a point for your next test! Everyone, class dismissed! Ms. Valliere, come with me and ma'am, we'll talk to the headmaster."

[-10:00 Hrs-]

[-Headmaster's Office, Tristain Academy of Magic, Kingdom of Tristain-]

After the crowd dispersed they walked to the office, and Agent Yoshiko still has her finger on near the trigger. The walk towards the office was full of tension waiting to be moved at the wrong time for gunshots and flames to be exchanged but luckily it didn't.

Though once they came to the office of the headmaster, it was unexpected. Headmaster Osmond was in the middle of signing more paper works from the palace, it is good that they have magic to do that but it is becoming more tedious. The Spring Summoning Ritual paperwork is really taking a toll on the Oldman.

Suddenly, the door opened revealing Professor Colbert, Louise and Agent Yoshiko.

The headmaster put back his levitating pen to its inkwell and stood up. "Colbert? Are you done with the student's summoning? And what do we owe the pleasure of bringing a guest here?"

Colbert slightly bowed and brought up a tired smile, "Yes, headmaster, unfortunately, we have a situation here, Louise summoned her and she is not pleased with her situation."

"Hmmm, why is that Ms…..?" The headmaster questioned to the agent.

The assassin then turned her attention to the Osmond, "My name is classified by the Bureau. Now let's cut the crap. Since you are the headmaster of this…..magical place, you are more powerful than them, because it seems that these two don't know how to turn me back."

Once Louise and Colbert heard it, they were terrified and shocked to see that they are read so easily. How a human, a commoner to read their thoughts without even revealing them is very terrifying. "And since I've calmed down, wasting my bullets on these two isn't worth it." That made the exhaled like they never before. "So, Headmaster, is there any way for me to go back?"

The headmaster stroked his beard slowly but his response is quick, "I'm afraid that Professor Colbert here already knows the answer that since you threatened him with death with your rather peculiar looking flintlock, he kept his mouth shut. But I'm going to answer for him. Miss, I'm afraid that the summoning is irreversible. No magic in Halkegenia that can reverse a summon as it is eternal and bound until death. Even the elves can't teleport from plane to plane."

Yoshiko closed her eyes and exhaled, "I was already expecting that answer, however, you should realize that you are all overstepping the Bureau's affairs and I'm not in the mood to dilly dally and do jack shit." She sternly stated and cocked her head, her cursing gaining considerable gasps in the room.

"Do you have a map?" The agent questioned.

"Yes. Would you like to locate your location?" Osmond asked and cooperated, levitating a map from his bookshelf and laying it down firmly on the table. This time Yoshiko is wide-eyed for the display of magic in front of her, still in disbelief but she didn't let it show.

Once she viewed it, she sighed in frustration, her situation is just getting worse and worse. The map is similar to Europe there is no Britain, Germany, France, Russia or the Iberian Peninsula. She just lets it sink in, "So I really am in a different world, where magic is apparently real….."

"I'm sorry Miss," Osmond put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "I know this is a little hard to take in but we would try to make your living here as comfortable as possible and we're sorry."

She stayed quiet but a desperate last hope that this is just a simulation or bad dream, she contacted Core. "Core. Status. Do you read?"

And she got silence as a response. She clenched her fists very tight and slammed them on the table. A world defunct of technology, but with magic as a replacement to manipulate their environment. How can a person far flung from time and space cope up with such unfortunate circumstances?

* * *

ネオ東京


	2. Fragile Diplomacy

ネオ東京

File no.2: Fragile Diplomacy

* * *

[-10:20 Hrs-]

[-Headmaster's Office, Tristain Academy of Magic, Kingdom of Tristain-]

* * *

Agent Yoshiko is still there, silent, unmoving, still in shock that she got teleported to a brave new world. No megacorporations exist, no government cold war against them, people are not yet cybernized and technology is primitive compared to what her world has to offer.

The trio from Halkegenia stood there in silence, waiting for what the agent is going to do however their silence was interrupted when someone opened the door.

Her hair was green and was tied in a bun, and along with the eyes glasses, her striking figure just matches her monotone facial expression.

"Sir, a letter from the palace has just arrived." She said, levitating the paper towards the headmaster's desk but was surprised that someone unfamiliar was there.

After what he heard, all the people in the room came back to reality. "Y-yes, I'll read it later, I'll handle Ms. Valliere's familiar."

Yoshiko crossed her arms and leaned back on the table, "I still did not agree that I will become that pipsqueak's slave."

"Hey! I'm a noble and I summoned you!" Louise retorted back.

"I'm sorry, Miss but Ms. Valliere is right about that, she indeed summoned you. And she is in need of a familiar as it is required for second years to have one. Perhaps we can come to a compromise?" Colbert suggested.

"Okay." Yoshiko snorted. "I'll bite. But I will settle the ground rules first."

Osmond turned to Colbert and he nodded in understanding. He wouldn't like to escalate things further than they turned out.

"First. I'm not someone's slave. I will be Louise Vallière's guardian but never a slave or a maid, nor I would follow her orders just because she says so. I can overrule anything that she says, regardless. I don't care if she is a noble or not."

"But-!" Louise wanted to object but the professor looked at her that has an expression of 'keep quiet' and she shut up immediately.

"Second. We would have a freedom of information policy here. However, it also has a prime rule, being that we can't ask information that is very personal to us. However, when I ask about something, regardless of context, say it with full clarity and without ambiguity and I will do the same in return. That way we can establish trust and know that we aren't hiding anything from each other that would cause a misunderstanding." She explained.

The headmaster hummed and thought for a bit, "That I can agree to Miss…"

"Agent Yoshiko." She finished for him. "Lastly. If I found any ways to get out of this planet that I'm in, I will go without consultation of any of you. I will remain here temporarily as Louise's guardian with two conditions. One being death, two is a way to go back home."

The two professors thought for a moment while Louise stared at her with anger and uncertainty. After 5 minutes of silence, she got her answer, "We would agree to those terms, Yoshiko, however, there are two things that we ask of you should we agree." Old Osmond spoke up.

She cocked her eyebrows, "Go on."

"First is that we ask that you don't kill or harm any of our students, and in return, we would agree to all those terms." He firmly stated.

"That I cannot agree." Yoshiko quickly replied, shocking the two professors, "As you can already see earlier, one had nearly harmed me with her water thingy. For them to harm me without me retaliating in return is a bit unfair, is it not?"

"But Miss Yoshiko, they are students!" Colbert snarled.

"Students that have powers to harm and kill people." Yoshiko retorted back, "Students who think so highly of themselves that they think that they have the biggest dick in the entire world. I bet they compare their dick size to the point that they challenge themselves to death once someone tarnished their dick?" She chuckled darkly and shook her head. "Pointless."

Colbert had had enough, he slammed his cane to the ground, "MISS YOSHIKO! Don't you dare insult my students! Prideful and unruly they may be, but insulting them is below the belt!" Louise's sympathy for her professor grew, once he defended them.

But to their surprise, the agent laughed at what the professor said. "Ms. Yoshiko, I'm being serious here!"

"You didn't realize that you made my metaphor funnier? Old man?" When she said that, the professor blushed and the assassin laughed harder.

"Ms. Yoshiko!" Colbert said with embarrassment.

After a while, she stopped laughing and composed herself, "But I digress, you just admitted that they are prideful and undisciplined. And with powers like magic, I bet less than a week of my stay here, I'll be challenged to a fight."

"I must inform you that duels are forbidden in this school, Ms. Yoshiko." Osmond intervened and explained.

"You think that students will follow rules all the time? There will always be an asshole that would break it because of some stupid reason, whether it be pride or they just like to mess with the rules. So how about this then, I won't kill anyone or harm anyone within this institution however if someone harmed me, I would also do so in return. Sounds plausible for the two of you?"

The two professors paused for a moment and looked at each other. They nodded both and turned to the agent, Osmond is the one to continue the negotiations, "Yes, quite enough. It assures your safety without also being able to harm anyone without proper reason. Next is that Ms. Vallière is in need of a familiar. So we ask you that she can be your familiar, even if in name only."

This put another strain on Louise. She thought that her professor and headmaster would strongly ask her to be her familiar in all forms, yet they here they are all giving compromises to avoid stepping on a hidden mine and she knows all they are doing is playing charades.

But she isn't the one who's going to give compromises. She is a Vallière! A noblewoman who has very close ties with the palace! She can't let this foolish familiar let alone a commoner tarnish her name. No. Her schoolmates had already done enough.

Louise's hands trembled in anger and shouted, "You! You are my familiar, and I am your master and that's final!" Gaining shocked stares from the professors and a glare from the assassin.

The agent stood up and walked slowly without letting go of her gaze from Louise's eyes. The professors tried to stop her but she raised her hands, signaling she wouldn't harm the girl. Both of them glared at each other, eye to eye, wanting to another party to submit to their whim.

It was a dreading silence that engulfed the room once this happened. The professors knew they screwed up, and Yoshiko knew the pipsqueak of a master that she considers herself to be, screwed up the most and decided to break the silence.

"Pipsqueak. Do you know what am I doing before you summoned me?" And she got a glare in response. "No? Then let me enlighten your prideful ass. I was going to assassinate a person of… great importance, but I didn't get back to the HQ. Afterall, you summoned an Agent of the Bureau. An assassin."

Once Louise heard this, her eyes and mouth wide with fear and shock and trembled. "Not so tough now are we? You summoned a hired killer, Louise. So here is the deal, follow the agreement, and all of us then we would have no problems. Simple."

Yoshiko walked back and leaned on the table. "So are there any more things that we have to discuss? Do we need to refine our agreement?"

"No, that is quite alright Ms. Yoshiko. The only problem is that you don't have your familiar runes yet and we need to finish the summoning ritual." Colbert said.

"Then do it now," Yoshiko stated. Her patience faltering. Normally her patience is very long, as it is needed to wait for an opportune time to pull the trigger when your target pop's up but from the stress of failing a mission and being transported to another world, it already faltered dramatically.

Louise still couldn't believe she summoned a criminal, she is worried that her mother might disown her for acquiring a familiar that in no sense should be affiliated with a Valliere. "Ms. Valliere," her professor called to her, shaking her out of her stupor, "please finish the ritual."

The student walked slowly to her familiar, "Please kneel."

"I'm not anyone's master, pipsqueak." Yoshiko spated back.

"Just please kneel!" Louise tantrum, cocking her head forward while she put her arms on her side.

"I won't." Yoshiko still didn't fall back. "Do something. You're not the boss of me."

Louise growled in anger and stomped her way to grab the chair near the desk of the headmaster and placed it near the assassin. She, at this point, was fuming. Her face tinted with red and steam escaping her head, which Yoshiko found amusing. A pompous brat doing something on her own brings a smile to her face.

While this was happening, the two professors watched the exchange of interest. A human to not obey a noble is very peculiar and interesting indeed. Colbert, being the curious guy that he is, found interest in the culture that the familiar is in.

The mad fuming student took off her shoes and stepped into the chair, now almost the same height as the agent. She took off her wand from her holster and raised it, making it look like she is conducting a symphony.

She waved it constantly as she said, "I! Louise Fraçoise Le Blanc de La Vallière! Pentagon of Five Powers heed my call! Bless this noble creature, make her my familiar!" Shen then leaned into Yoshiko, who was just watching in amusement for this whole "show" that is being presented to her in a flamboyant fashion, until the pink haired student leaned in close to her and kissed her respirator.

That was a shock to Yoshiko alone, a medieval world where lesbians are accepted in society, not shunned? But it wasn't enough, once the kissing was finished, she winced once she felt a sharp pain in her left hand. She took off her glove to analyze what happened and what stumbled upon the professors and Louise also took them by surprise.

It was a pain Yoshiko could handle, after all, her receptors in her cybernetic arm is only for indication of error, malfunction, and pain, useful for any diagnosis. After some unintelligable letters carved into her bionic arm, no pain was felt after that. But then she noticed the Tristanians looking at her hand in complete surprise.

There are familiar runes, yes, but what took their attention away from it was the hand has a white metallic sheen of the skin, lines on the palmer side, and the hinges on the fingers, making it look like….no it wasn't a costume, it was a machine out of a hand.

Louise was shaking once she saw that, "Y-y-y-y-y-your h-h-hand!"

"This?" Yoshiko clarified, "It's a cybernetic hand."

"Cybernetic what?" Colbert asked again in clarrification, his eyes filled with utter fascination of the machine.

"A cybernetic hand, made by the Ministry of R&D. It is a substitute once you lose a limb or want to a part of you, cybernized. Makes punches have more impact, lifting easier, and more precise movements."

To them, this kind of technology is unheard off! So many things that could be done if this tech got into Tristain. Those who got amputated due to uncurable infection can finally have a limb that they can control again! Even with magic, they can't have such a thing.

Professor Colbert drool with fascination once he is observing her hand. There are so many questions that are running in his mind that he can't express it all. He has to hold this questions for now and do the thing that is routinely used once a student summons their familiar, "Ms. Yoshiko, may I see your runes?"

She turned her back palm to the professor to analyze it because her GM Drive can't. "Hmm, this is peculiar indeed. I've not seen these kinds of runes before. Headmaster! Would you take a look at this?"

Old Osmond then saw the runes himself and widened his eyes in shock. "Colbert, come with me. We need to confirm my findings."

"And don't you forget our freedom of information policy here, professor." The agent reminded to them.

"We will Ms. Yoshiko, for now please proceed to Ms. Vallière's room and rest. We would fill you in tomorrow on what those carvings on your prosthetic arm mean. Ms. Loungville, please take over what I'm doing." And both the professors left the room for the library.

She wore her glove again, and there stood Louise still in a daze. "Hey, pipsqueak, where is your room?" She asked.

It took 2 seconds for the pinked haired girl to notice her again, she gave a scowl, "Follow me." And lead the way.

[-Louise's Room-]

During their trek to Louise's room. What the agent got was the stares and snickering of the student populace. Everywhere they went, there were whisphers and constant snickering. Once the pink haired girl heard of this, she just walked faster to avoid more ridicule.

Yoshiko, however, heard the things those students whispered to each other once they are at her line of sight. "Zero", "Commoner", "Costume", were among the most that she heard but she had two conclusions: One is that they dislike Louise being a "Zero", even she herself, doesn't know why and finally, they all think the stunt that she did at the summoning circle was just to impress them, claiming that she is in a costume.

Instead of disliking it, the agent encourages this kind of behavior towards her. Them underestimating her would lead to her being an outcast and an unknown. Stay low, don't stand out, don't do anything that will attract any attention and be mundane as possible. Should the need arise of using force, it must be quick and swift. Any unwanted attention is bad and it should end very quickly.

Once they got there, Louise closed the door and went to her bed. She already hates this day, from the judgmental eyes of the student populace to her, to a familiar who is a criminal of all things. She had enough and just wanted to rest from this stressful day of hers.

Her daily walks of whispers throughtout the halls of the academy, during lunch in the Alvis Hall when Kirche von Zerbst always strikes up the crowd that she has no skill in magic and always ends up in an explosion. She even doubts herself that she could even graduate because of the fear that she couldn't summon something, and that something that should make her peers respect her as an equal.

She is an intelligent student. She need not study for an exam since she is very great at theoreticals. Her professors are very impressed at her when it comes to her exams at near perfect level but what they don't understand is when it comes to the application of her theoreticals, it always fails and magic, in their point of view, that application matters. After all, after they graduate, the military is the most common occupation a mage is suitable for.

All that she wanted is respect and recognition from anyone. Since her mother is very famous as Karin the Heavy Wind. Commander of the very renowned Manticore Knights. Her family legacy further pushing her down of doubting herself she could live up to her family's name. And that she wants to do now bury these thoughts of hers to sleep and wake up in the morning.

However, she isn't the only one getting stressed, Yoshiko too is stressed from failing a mission to being teleported from another world by a pipsqueak as she called Louise. Now, she thinks that being in a simulation isn't as bad as she thought since she can detect that it is a simulation that even if it really as real, the Imperial Minstry R&D had figured it out, but she is summoned from this world and has no way of getting back.

She doesn't know what she'll do and clearly, no one from Japan had contact to anyone and she isn't in a higher power of any sorts just to meet the one in charge of this country because in the customs of this country that she found herself in, she is considerred a commoner.

Not that unique since inequality in Neo-Tokyo and the rest of the world is very prevalent. You are only equal in name, but in services, once they don't recognize your name, your looks don't fit, don't have enough money, or not a government official or an executive of a megacorporation, chances are they will treat you with disdain and prejuidice.

But still, she doesn't know what makes up the higher class of the society she stumbled upon. Her biggest guess is, of course, money. Since money is itself powerful and can fund a military, economy, and a spy network. However, she doesn't mind that she is a commoner in these lands.

She locked the door behind her and heard Louise muttered, "wake me tomorrow morning." The assassin didn't mind as it is a simple request because if she has to live in this world now, she has to make allies. Powerful or not, any advantage she would take just to survive in this world.

The assassin leaned in on the window, observing the view outside, with the forest and mountains stumbling upon her with the afternoon sun near sunset. She too is also tired, so she changed from her personal protective equipment to her large t-shirt and undergarments. Once she turned around, Louise was already spralled out of the bed.

She sat on it and slowly lied down beside the pink haired girl and with the fluffy and comfortableness of the bed, she immediately slept.

* * *

[-9:00 pm-]

[-Library-]

* * *

There were stack and stacks of books sprawling across the library. The smell of old books emanating across the grandness of it. With only candlelight and the moon lighting them, Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond search throughout its sections.

It had been 9 hrs since their search and they haven't found a single information on what the Headmaster speculated.

* * *

[- _Nine hours ago_ -]

* * *

Outside the office the two professors darted towards the library. Professor Colbert was confused but just followed his boss but his curiosity couldn't wait him no longer.

Colbert stopped in his tracks, "Headmaster, what is going on? Why did you suddenly darted out of the room while we are still talking to Ms. Vallière's familiar?"

The headmaster stopped and glanced back to him, "You didn't noticed, did you Colbert? Ms. Yoshiko's runes?"

"What are you saying, Headmaster? It might just be another rune like any other, some runes take days just to uncode. So what's bothering you?"

Osmond walked towards Colbert and whiperred. Professor Colbert let go off his staff, himself agitating with both excitement and fear, "Are you saying-?!"

"No." The headmaster interrupted, "but it's just my speculation. There still might be a chance that I'm wrong. However if I am right, I fear for the girl because it is our fault that she is the way she is." He sighed solemnly and return to walking, with the professor following right after.

Back to where they were, Colbert casts leviation spells to the books the headmaster read and place beside him, still not finding the information that he seeks.

"By the founder…." Colbert heard Osmond muttered and immediately dashed to the table where there are still piles of books around. Osmond sighed, "Apparently, I'm right."

Colbert took a view of the book and there was the exact replica of Yoshiko's runes, "Gandalfr…." He muttered in shock and read:

" _The Gandalfr, also known as the Right Hand of God is one of the four familiar runes_ _of the founder, Brimir. The abilities of the rune have been lost in time, however, there are legends suggesting that the Gandalfr commanded a contingent of roaring mighty beasts which can hurl explosions in consecutive fashion. All the rest of the information left behind are in the Secret Archives of Romalia."_

Colbert closed the book and closed his eyes in deep contemplation. The headmaster is just there, reflecting on what he read. "So, Ms. Yoshiko is the Gandalfr and Ms. Vallière is a void mage."

"Yes." The headmater risen up and casts a lavitating spell to the rest of the pile and all of the books when to their original place. He then stroked his beard, "I have never seen a something like this in my entire life and I never thought it would be one of our students."

"So now we know why Ms. Vallière always causes an explosion when she casts any magic of the four elements."

"Indeed." Osmond nodded.

"So what are we going to do now? Are we going to inform her about this? We know our policy with Ms. Yoshiko and she is very dangerous headmaster. She even calls herself-"

"An assassin, I know," The headmaster interrupted. "We would abide by the agreement and we would also inform Ms. Vallière. But."

Colbert raised his eyebrows, "But what headmaster?"

"Only us four would hold onto this information. None of the faculty, even my secretary is to know this. Only Ms. Yoshiko, Ms. Vallière, you and me. Not even the palace or the pope is to know this because who knows who is going to use her for their own benefit. We shall inform them tomorrow since there are no classes."

* * *

[-5:30 a.m.-]

[-Louise's Room-]

* * *

Yoshiko's eyes open groggily as she slept very comfortably, still on her nightwear. She then yawned and rubbed her eyes to see more clearly, on the head's up display read "5:30 am". A bit late for her since she normally wakes up at 12 to 1 am. _"Hmmm must be the bed."_ She thought.

She rose up from it and do a few stretches, punches and kicks to energize her even for awhile since she needs a dose of caffeine. She then materialized her normal civilian clothes, consisting of black jacket covering her white tank top and blue jeans and rubber shoes and tied her hair into a bun.

Now the only problem is, where will she get her dose of caffeine and food?

* * *

[-Tristain Academy of Magic-]

* * *

She walks through the halls of the academy with only the rising sun guiding her direction. She doesn't know where the kitchen is so that she could cook a breakfast for herself so the best that she could do is ask questions but at this time no student was awake yet so she has to rely on the academy staff.

Once she got down to from the dormitory, still it was very quiet, and there was no person she could see. She could use her probe to scan the area and it would indicate any living organism but she is too lazy for that since she needs something to eat first.

She walked to the main tower, guessing this is where the kitchen is and finally at the fountain inside the tower was a maid with short black hair and a typical maid dress.

She approached her and the maid was surprised as she has never seen her before, let alone what she wears is very different from what the people considered a normal wear. "Excuse me, Miss, do you know where the kitchen is?" The agent asked.

"Yes, madame." The maid smiled in response, "Do you want me to lead you there since I think you are lost." The maid then slightly hid her face in embarassment.

"Sure, lead the way." And they were on their way.

While walking, there was an uncomfortable silence between them, at least for Siesta. "Ohh umm, my name's Siesta, madame."

"Yoshiko." The assassin said, her head not relenting towards her destination.

"W-what?" Siesta asked again nervously.

"Yoshiko. That's my name."

"Ohh right…ohh umm, how did you get here Madame Yoshiko?"

The agent cringes everytime Siesta addresses her as 'madame' but she digresses and sighed, "Some pipsqueak summoned me while I was doing a job."

"Wait." Siesta stopped for a moment and thought for a second and widened her eyes as she saw the agent again, "You're Ms. Vallière's familiar?!"

Yoshiko just turned her head to her and nodded, "But you look nothing what I've been told. You got no mask, and a black long coat with it."

"It's a long story. Now, mind leading me again to where the kitchen is?" The assassin answered and continued her walking, and the maid followed suit, walking ahead of her. Siesta is still not comfortable around her, something about her feels very odd and ominous but she put those thoughts aside and lead the way.

* * *

[-Kitchen-]

* * *

When the two arive, the staff were already in motion, them moving back and forth like robots, preparing a meal for the students of the aristocrats.

"Excuse me, do you have coffee here?" The agent asked.

None of the staff turned except for a fellow wearing a red apron, with a beard that any male can envy. "What?"

"Do you have coffee available here? Even a mug is okay."

"Coffee? Sure, Siesta dear, make her a coffee would you?" The chef answered but his face is filled with disdain that he didn't show.

"Yes, Chef Marteau. What kind of coffee do you like, madame Yoshiko?" The maid asked.

"Black." The maid bowed and immediately went to do her task while the agent patiently waited because if there is one thing that she knows not to piss off, it's those who make your food.

After 5 minutes, the coffee is done and Yoshiko can smell the energy and deliciousness of the cup. Siesta then approached the assassin with a mug full of black coffee, "Here you go Ms. Yoshiko!" She smiled and presented it to her.

Without hesitation the agent grabbed the mug and immediately sipped the contents, bit by bit until she drank it fully. Now she could feel the caffeine coursing through her systems, giving her enough energy and processing power.

After drinking she placed it at the nearest thing she can place it upon. "Thanks." This time Yoshiko smiled with Siesta getting caught off-guard of the sudden personality change. "Needed caffeine to jumpstart my day with the little pipsqueak."

"Isn't it a bit disrespectful for you to call Ms. Vallière that?" Siesta said.

"She kidnapped me from my world when I was doing something important so even though we are on neutral terms I'm still pissed off about her."

Siesta was a bit wide-eyed and so to was those listening in the Kitchen, for someone to insult a noble is unheard off in their society. But in Neo-Tokyo, insult all they want, they have the money and the power anyway and they enclosed themselves to themselves.

"R-right." Siesta nervously said, her head sweating because she doesn't know how to deal with her, the agent is just so outlandish and her attitude is, let's say, unique. "Umm can you wait, Ms. Yoshiko? Since most of the food isn't cooked yet and you'll have to wait in the Alvis Hall." And she pointed towards it.

"Sure. Just serve me another coffee. Loved it by the way." Yoshiko winked and went to Alvis Hall. Siesta just stared at her and so does the kitchen staff. "Quite peculiar for a person, huh?" Chef Martieu said.

* * *

[-Alvis Hall-]

* * *

Yoshiko sat on an empty chair near where the kitchen is. The hall was still empty and the only light source that she can see is from the kitchen and the windows due to the now rising sun. Since she has nothing to do than wait, she then materialized a book called " _China: The Story of a Thousand Year Nation turned Superpower by Zhang Yifeng_." All in Mandarin.

For about 20 minutes she sat there reading her book, enjoying the contents of it. She didn't noticed her food being prepared in front of her by Siesta, and onced she did, she immediately closed it and placed it in the table, startling Siesta in the process.

"Thank you, Siesta for the meal." Yoshiko then saw her breakfast. It was a standard stew but the aroma of the stew is intoxicating, making her mouth water. And there was a large piece of french bread on a plate and her beloved black coffee.

She took a sip from the soup and from then she began to devour it, along with the bread and her coffee. All in 10 minutes she is done but while she is devouring her food, Siesta observed the book that Yoshiko placed on the table and then she read " _Chū-go-ku"._

The assassin dropped her spoon in shock and turned to Siesta. The maid also turned to Yoshiko, thinking she might have offended her, "I'm sorry madame Yoshiko!" She quickly apologized and bowed.

"No!" Yoshiko knew this was a clear misunderstanding, "No. You don't need to apologize since you haven't done anything wrong." This made Siesta calm down, "But there's something I need to know." The assassin grabed her book and presented the cover of it in front of Siesta. "Read it."

Siesta was sweating nervously, at first she thought she did a mistake, again, but the assassin forgave her immediately. Now she is just genuinely confused. " _Chū-go-ku_ ". She repeated.

"Where did you learned this?" Yoshiko said in an interrogating tone.

"L-learn w-what madame Yoshiko?"

"You reading Kanji?"

"M-my g-grandfather." Siesta stuttered.

The agent sighed, "Okay, sorry for threatening you. So how about this then? After you have done your duties, meet me later at Vallière's room. I need you to spill everything you know about your grandfather and I will help you today on everything, even on catering. Sounds fair?"

Siesta thought about this for a moment, now she really is confused but interested who this Yoshiko is. "Yes, Madame Yoshiko!" She smiled and bowed.

"And also please just call me Yoshiko, don't call me madame. I cringed every time I hear that. I'll just wake the pipsqueak up and I'll help you with distributing the food. Thanks for the food by the way." And Yoshiko grabbed her book and dematerialized it without Siesta knowing and headed straight to Louise's dorm.

* * *

[-Louise's Room-]

* * *

By the time Yoshiko reached Louise's Room, there were students in the halls and sunlight is beaming across the halls, unlike earlier which is just dimly lit. While walking, the student populace was staring at her like a complete stranger, little did they know that her outfit yesterday was her personal protective equipment. To be used only for missions and handling threats.

"Pipsqueak. It's breakfast time. You asked me." She said.

But the pink haired girl just grumbled in her bedsheets, "….five…more…minutes…"

"WAKE UP!" Yoshiko screamed and Louise jumped from shock quickly throwing her pillow at the assassin but she countered it by just raising her left palm.

"Who are you?!" Louise shouted at her and Yoshiko just partially removed her left glove to reveal the runes and once Louise saw this she calmed down. "How did you have a change of clothes? You don't even have a bag with you."

"I'll explain later, just do your morning routine because I have something to do."

And with that Yoshiko left immediately leaving Louise dumbfounded. "At least dress me up, familiar!"

* * *

[-Alvis Hall-]

* * *

The assassin then jogged her way through the halls and fields and finally she found Siesta with a two layer food cart filled with food. "Siesta, there you are."

"Oh, hey, M- Yoshiko" She smiled and bowed again, but this time slightly not saying the word madame to address the agent.

Yoshiko nodded in response, "So, are these the foods you are going to distribute to them?"

"Yes, Yoshiko." The maid chuckled. She still couldn't believe that someone would help her, let alone a complete stranger. "Do you need a change of clothes? We have spare uniforms."

"No, thanks. I'm more comfortable in my hoodie." And they went ahead distributing the meals. People again stared at her, her very dark hair and eyes being slightly blocked by the hood that she has, and the fingerless glove on her right hand and gloves on her left.

While she was distributing, there were again whispers around her. "Who is this person?", "Did you see her running around the halls earlier?", "Must be a new commoner for the staff.", "Dispicable, for a female to wear something like that." But she didn't mind, all she needs to do is help Siesta distribute the food and she can finally found out how she got to read "China" in Japanese.

One fat boy tripped her and Yoshiko fell down. The bowl smashed into the tiled floor and the contents spilled into the floor, with some into her hoodie. The students laughed at her expense but she ignored it. She continued to distribute the meals, even though her hoodie is soaked. Siesta came after her and pulled her away from the roaring laughter of the students.

Once they got out of the fray, the maid was shocked to see that Yoshiko has a stoic face, the same one that she had before drinking coffee. "Yoshiko, are you okay?"

"I am." Yoshiko replied as she tried to go back to helping the maid but just in time, Louise was there walking furiously.

"Familiar! Why didn't you dress me up?!" The pinked haired girl screamed as she came down on her direction.

Yoshiko walked towards her, "Didn't we already agreed that I am only your guardian and not some slave? Now go and eat, we have much to discuss."

Louise scoffed and walked towards her table and the assassin followed suit with a tray for her. Siesta, who watched the whole exchange just got back to doing what she were doing. Once the two arrived on her table, Yoshiko just placed the meals on the students, Louise included, and pulled her chair back so that the pinked haired girl could seat, much to her surprise.

"Hey, Louise, that is your familiar?" Kirche, who is on the other side of the table, said with wide eyes and chuckled, "She really is wearing a costume!" And the crowd laughed again in roars.

"So what?" Louise spat back. "My familiar can kill people!" she boasted.

"Kill? She tripped earlier! Have you noticed the stain on her dress?" And she laughed and Louise just ignored the laughter of her fellow classmates, and just continued to eat her breakfast.

The agent on the other hand just does the usual, ignoring the snickers of the populace up until she heard something.

"You insolent commoner!" Someone screamed.

She turned her head immediately to the source of the noise and saw Siesta on the ground shielding her head with her two forearms, kneeling on the floor while at the same time, shivering in fear. The one towering over her was another blonde boy but his shirt is unbuttoned on the top and his wand was a rose, pointing it the maid.

"You dare hurt the feelings of the two loving ladies?! How dare you, commoner scum!" the blonde boy said screaming and the maid is just sobbing.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry, Lord Gramont!" Siesta stuttered, "I promise it won't happen again."

Guiche flipped his hair flamboyantly and dramatically placed his hand on his chest. "Such apology couldn't heal the wounds that you dealt to the hearts of those maidens!" He then points his wand towards the maid. "So, I challenge you to a duel!" The crowd gasps at this.

Yoshiko now has to make a decision. She either has to not help her and stick true to her being not the center of attention, or has to save the key to her being able to be back home at Neo-Tokyo. But now the most important things is for her to find any clues as to any way back home and Siesta is her only key.

The agent quickly swimmed through the crowd and when she is near Guiche, she approached him by grabbing his shoulder, catching him by surprise. "Hey kid, aren't duels illegal here?" Yoshiko said to the startled man, her height now towering over him.

But the flamboyant man quickly regained his composure, "I know _commoner_ , however, isn't she a coward for not accepting my duel?"

" _Well, so much for staying low, fuck it._ " She said in her thoughts. "Then what exactly happened?" she asked.

"Hmph! For a commoner to seek such details. Alright, I'll entertain you for now." Guiche then told the story to the agent and as soon as the longer the storytelling got, she knew he is exaggerating, so here are is the breakdown of the events:

Siesta saw a bottle on the floor and asked Guiche if it is his, he rejected it then a girl heard the conversation and approached the flamboyant guy for it. Her name is Montmorency and slapped him for rejecting that her gift isn't his and apparently, those two are in a relationship. A few seconds later, a girl named Katie approached him and cried because she never knew and Guiche was apparently cheating with her so to put the blame on someone, he chose a commoner that gave him the bottle.

The agent rubbed her temples a bit, "So…you blame the maid over here, because you cheated on someone?" She simplified, this got the crowd chuckling.

"This commoner wounded my pride!" Guiche, again, flipped his hair, "Hmph! Even you can't understand how this is an insult! She has to accept my duel or she has to be kicked out within the halls of the academy!"

"The only one who is an insult here is you." The agent spat back, "And you also don't have a common sense to know that you fucking cheated to your girlfriend, asshole." The crowd ooed but cringed once they heard the curse words.

Guiche gritted his teeth, his flamboyant-ness faltering every time the crowd agreed on this commoner familiar, "Now you dare insult me? Then that does it! You, maid! Your insolence will be punished through a new simpleton." He then walked towards the agent and pointed his rose at her, "But you, commoner, I challenge you to a duel!"

" _Well fuck me for basically toying with fate. But I have to, I need Siesta."_ "Fine. I accept." This got the crowd roaring but she failed to notice on the side, was already screaming bloody murder on her head.

"But I have something to gain, don't I? You gain your pride back if you win, I'll even scream it to the heavens!" She dramatisized, raising her hands in a grandiose way and bowed dramatically, circle jerking his pride.

The prideful boy laughed at this, "Oh no, it's not pride that I would gain, no no no, commoner. I would have you as my personal servant, and be practically be my second familiar."

The angry pinked haired girl drew out from her anger and tried to approach Yoshiko to reconsider. Her familiar might be stubborn to her but she is the only proof of her being a mage, once she is gone from her grasps, everything in her life would fall apart. But as she tried to approach her, and so does Siesta, they were stopped when the agent raised her hand to stop the two, signaling she knows what she is doing.

"Fine." Yoshiko is willing to raise the stakes just to get back home, "But if I win, give me every money, including your family's, to me." Because if she is to find a way home, she needs resources. And she knows that this person is one who holds an estate, due to his flamboyant and boastful attitude. Basic, only she is robbing someone in a legal manner, even though duels are technically illegal.

"That basically giving everything I have!" Guiche exclaimed.

"If I'm going to give myself to you, then at least have the balls giving something in equal manner, besides, it's not like I'll win anyway." She spated back.

"Accepted, simpleton. Meet me at Vestri Court, 15 minutes from now." He then backed off but before he leaves, "Oh, and by the way, if you're late, I win." And again turned his back.

Now, the crowd of students knew Guiche is going to win and Louise's familiar is absolutely insane if she thought she is going to win. Louise by now is just horrified that her familiar can take such action, gambling herself from a fight, even though she is an assassin, she can't match the might of a magi.

Siesta, on the otherhand, just felt guilty. Here was a complete stranger, whom she just met this morning, defending her from a noble who has nothing to blame but her.

All of the crowd dispersed to go to the venue as they are more interested in it than their breakfasts and Siesta and Louise approached her silently, the pinked haired one was furious and at the same time scared, the maid only had guilt on her face.

"You stupid familiar!" Louise screamed at her, making the agent wince, "You can't beat Guiche in a duel! He is a mage, and you're just a commoner! You! You!"

"I know." The agent interrupted. "But he trying to kill someone that I need."

"But you can't win, Yoshiko!" Siesta now intervened, "He has magic and you don't!"

The assassin then cocked her eyebrows, "So what if he has magic? It's a simple fight. Now, where is this Vestri Court the boy is saying?"

"Just outside here," said Siesta, "But you would die Yoshiko." She pleaded to her.

"Die?" The agent chuckled, "It's in my line of work, and Louise, haven't I told you my job already?" she then began to walk away and headed towards Vestri Court.

"What is her job, Ms. Vallière?"

Louise rubbed her temples and sighed heavily, "She is an assassin."

* * *

[-8:20 a.m.-]

[-Vestri Court-]

* * *

The crowd had already gathered on the sides of the court. All of them rowdy, cheering for the blonde boy as he waits and woos the audience to his side. After 5 minutes of waiting, the agent arrived, still on her stained hoodie. The crowd booed once she arrived and Guiche raised his hands to stop them from it.

"So, you are brave enough to come here, commoner."

She just shrugged, "We're both selling our souls here, who wouldn't be interested? Because almost all of the student populace are."

"And they will witness me trample you with my magic, familiar of Zero!" He interrupted her.

Siesta and Louise are just watching as they both know the agent is very determined to continue this, and they can't do anything but watch.

"Right, right. Just do your magic shmagic and be done with it, I don't care." The assassin just acted lazily.

"So, you admit defeat? Well then," Guiche then flipped his hair flamboyantly and raised both of his arms in a dramatical way, "My name is Guiche de Gramont! Son of the mighty General Gramont of the Tristainian Army! My runic name is Guiche the Bronze!" The crowd cheered as they heard it but the assassin is observing intently to his moves.

From his wand, a petal from the rose fell and from it a construct emerged, with large pauldrons, with eyes and having a sword for its weapon. "And my Valkyrie shall be your opponent!" This amazed the agent. She first concluded that this "magic" that they have is just projectile based weaponry, but now it can contruct things out of nowhere.

But one thing is for certain, she let her GM-Drive scan the object and concluded, that the thing is hollow, and her pistol can suffice.

The students cheered once the construct was summoned but the two was just sweating, afraid of what is she going to do to survive. The single valkyrie then ran into her position and proceeded to stab her in the chest, little they don't know that she just activated her trap card.

She smiled deviously once the valkyrie lunged her sword at her, since she can now hurt the boy, with the agreement of the professors. But before the tip can even approach her, she materialized all her personal protective equipment along with her LK12 pistol chambered in 5.7x38mm round.

As soon as the tip of the sword reached the agent, everyone knew she is going to die and lose, but what they didn't expect was the thing that appeared yesterday. Together with a long black trench coat covering her torso and lower body and a hoodie to hide her head. Her respirator glowing with outlines of neon blue and her slacks and boots all fitting her outfit.

Now everyone is intrigued, including Siesta and Louise how the hell did she did it and did she survived?

There was silence along the court and it was broken when Guiche laughed at her expense. "Oh, this is too easy! If you would just realize earlier that-"

 _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Suddenly, again, everyone became quiet, finding the source of the loud sound. It wasn't until the valkyrie fell on the floor with a large hole on the chest. This shocked Guiche and so was all who was observing the event.

Again, the silence is broken when the agent started walking calmly towards the blonde boy, staring intently into his eyes.

Guiche's flamboyant attitude, however, never falterred, summoning 6 more valkyries on his side with various weapons like spears and shields. But as soon as they began to charge, the assassin never stopped walking and just shot the valkyries on the head on bursts, and fell one by one.

"How can that pistol fire consecutively?"

"Is she a mage?"

"How did she just changed clothes like that?"

Now this got the boy's attention. A simple pistol can make his valkyries falter to pieces and the bullets penetrate his? For his last deperate attempt to salvage his pride, he tried to summon more of the constructs but the agent suddenly kicked his wand off his hand and before he could grabbed the wand, he was kneed hard in the gut and punched in his solar plexus.

Guiche wobbled as he tried to regain his pride and gasp for air, and when he regained his recomposure, the first sight that he saw was the eyes of Yoshiko staring into his eyes and grabbed his collar with her left hand immediately and lifted him up the air, but he isn't going to go without a fight, so he tried to punch her in the face, or even kicking her, but it was like a peck to the cheek to the agent.

The assassin need not pull a momentum and threw the boy to the now silent crowd. He rolled in the ground and for a second tried to get up, only to be met by again, a kick to the gut, with the effect of him throwing up his breakfast for the crowd to see. Once he was finished, we was met with a gun barrel onto his forehead.

"So, vomit boy. You surrender and give me everything you have or do you want to meet your maker?" The agent said as she grinded the barrel down to his skin.

"Listen here you brute-"

"Five."

"I have to send a letter to my-"

"Four."

"You can't just get it-"

"Three."

"My father would kill-"

"Two."

"Please! Anything! Not my-"

"One."

"I YIELD I YIELD I YIELD!" Guiche screemed in utter panic. He knew those seconds might be his last and he can't overcome the fear of death. He is shivering and hungry due to him vomiting in front of his classmates no less.

"Remember, vomit boy. Our agreement. All of the things you own, including your family's. We'll talk more about the details later. Oh. And if you don't comply," She aimed her gun on her head and removed her respirator, smiling deviously to a terrified Guiche. "I'll kill you." And Guiche nodded quickly out of fear.

The agent rose and wore her respirator again, and the looks that she got from the student populace was fear written all over their faces. Somebody defeated a mage, and in no less than 5 minutes, even making him vomit. The silence was cut when Yoshiko spoke again in a mocking tone, "

Louise and Siesta walked to her, now looking at her with fear. "Yoshiko." This is the first time the assassin heared the pink haired girl said her name. "Are you a mage?"

Yoshiko didn't looked at them and instead put her attention on her gun as she reloaded it and the gun automatically activated its slide release, not needing to cock the gun for a first shot. After that she stored it back to her inventory, this time both Siesta and Louise noticed.

"I'll discuss it once we aren't in the ears of those students." And she walked towards Colbert who was giving her an unfriendly gaze.

* * *

ネオ東京


End file.
